One of ICTF’s most high-profile European member companies is OnGuard. The firm has given great support to the association in the past 18 months, so we went along to meet the man responsible for leading their credit management strategy and staff.
Edwin Merk is the firm’s commercial director. He started working in credit management in 2003 when he joined OnGuard. “I had known the founder of the company, David W. Taylor, since it started in 1993,” explained Mr Merk. "When he proposed I should join in October 2003, I immediately felt positive about it. The company, the employees, the product and of course the customers gave me the confidence that this was the right company to work for.
“Up until that moment, debt collection, or even better credit management, was not one of my fields of expertise, although in my previous jobs I have experienced the importance of getting the money in and, at the same time, maintaining a good customer relationship. “With my background of software development and (international) sales I brought some new experience and vision to the company. I strongly believe in long-term relationships, whether that is business-to-business or business-to-consumer. Credit management operates more than any other field in the core of this area. Companies can only survive if they have customers and money; and that is what credit management is all about.”
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